AEG DJ.I
AEG PE and DJ.I | |
---|---|
Type: | Ground attack aircraft |
Design country: | |
Manufacturer: | |
First flight: |
1918 |
Number of pieces: |
1 × AEG PE |
The AEG PE and DJ.I were single-seat ground attack aircraft , which the department of aircraft of General Electric Company for the Air Force of the German Army built. During the First World War they were considered to be the first types designed for anti-tank defense from the air.
Development of AEG PE
The AEG PE ( P anzer E insitzer) emerged in 1918 as an armored triplane prototype . Its aluminum armor protected the engine, tank and pilot from defensive fire from ground troops. The PE proved to be not agile enough and was rejected by the Idflieg (inspection of the air force) in early 1918.
Development of AEG DJ.I
Its successor, the AEG DJ.I double-decker, was more agile and faster. At the end of the war three prototypes of the DJ were being tested, two of them with Benz Bz IIIb (195 hp) and one with Maybach Mb IVa (240 hp), two new and extremely powerful eight-cylinder V-engines .
The fuselage was made of duralumin , the wings were covered with canvas, but without bracing.
In addition to the armament with two MG , the installation of was TUF ( T ank u nd F Lieger rifle) provided a heavy 13-mm Mauser anti-tank machine gun with uprated K special cartridge.
Production was already planned, but the end of the war came before it.
Technical specifications
Parameter | AEG PE | AEG DJ.I |
---|---|---|
crew | 1 | |
span | 11.20 m | 10.00 m |
length | 6.60 m | 6.69 m |
height | 3.00 m | |
Wing area | 31.60 m² | |
Empty mass | 1182 kg | |
Takeoff mass | 1412 kg | 1375 kg |
Engine | a water-cooled eight-cylinder V-engine Benz Bz IIIb , 195 hp (143 kW) | |
Top speed | 165 km / h | 180 km / h |
Max. Range | 480 km | |
Armament | two 7.92 mm MG 08/15 bombs |
See also
literature
- Heinz J. Nowarra : The development of the aircraft 1914-18 , Munich 1959